It
all began in June 1999, with an idea from a local architect friend of Parker's
named John Lupinos. At the time John was working at a Chicago firm called
DLK. The Chicago "Cows On Parade" had just begun, and John suggested
that Parker should paint a cow. John set the wheels in motion, and DLK
said that they would provide the seed funds if Parker's friends could come
up with the rest of the money to buy the blank fiberglass cow.
When the cow was delivered, Scott set about the task of translating his
vision onto the three dimensional canvas:

Fenestration

July
07, 1999.

Parker first applied a base coat of white primer. Over the
next seven days the artist transformed the blank white surface into one
of the most original, creative and fascinating works of the summer.

On the eighth of July, the base colors were applied. The
concept was yet to be revealed. The color palette however was clearly recognizable
as that of Scott W. Parker. Here the cow appears to relax in the late afternoon
light.

After
two days of developing the theme, Fenestration becomes more
defined. This photo shows the addition of details applied to the base colors.
Also apparent is the inspiration for this work. Scott Parker wanted to
translate with paint, the play of light as it interacts with the glass
walls of
Chicago's skyscrapers. In particular, the way that glass transforms and
blends images from within and without the glass panes. Like fingerprints,
these images are never quite the same. Even a single building will reveal
many faces as the suns rays play upon it during the day.
The next time you have the opportunity, stop and look into the images created
by the facades of buildings
that we see. Notice the reflections and the interiors that blend with the
help of the sun's rays. Hopefully you will see something new. Something
that adds to your appreciation of your surroundings. As it should.

To get an idea of how the intricate details of this work
change over time,
click on this image to increase it's size. You back button will return
you to
this page.

After a solid week of nonstop painting, Parker hosted a dedication party
for Fenestration. The day was July 14th, and when the party started the varnish
was just dry to the touch! Here we see John "Loopy" Lupinos standing
proudly in front of this beautiful work of art. As the organizer of the fundraising
he has every reason to beam with pride.

Here are some more images from the dedicatoin party:

When completed, Fenestration was at first installed in front of the Chicago
Theatre
on State Street. Then it was relocated to it's home in the Federal Plaza
next to the
Calder sculpture; "Flamingo". We have reason to beleive that the Flamingo
was jealous.
Here are some views of Fenestration as it was installed in the Federal Plaza: